Woori Financial Group Chairman Yim Jong-yong said Sunday that finance must evolve beyond simply supplying funds into "investment-type productive finance" that invests in future potential, with venture capital at its center.
Yim made the remarks at the "2026 WFRI Conference," hosted by the Woori Finance Research Institute at the group's headquarters in Jung-gu, central Seoul. He described venture capital as "finance that believes in and supports the potential of companies that are small and uncertain, but challenge the market with new technologies and ideas."
Woori Financial has expanded productive finance to underpin real economy growth since last year, and plans to actively support venture capital going forward so that startups and others can secure needed investment and business opportunities. Through Dinno Lab, its startup incubation platform, the group has discovered and nurtured 231 startups and invested a cumulative 470 billion won across the group.
"Dinno Lab operates regional bases, and 66% of the companies discovered since 2024 have been from outside the Seoul metropolitan area," Yim said. "I believe creating an environment where innovative startups and young companies can grow in the provinces as well is the starting point for balanced regional development." He added, "We will continue to organically connect investment, collaboration, growth finance and capital markets to accompany companies on their growth journey."
